We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Colleen Underwood a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Colleen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

When you find something that you love doing, you love “being” too. That’s why learning my craft was and is central to all I do as a Surface Pattern Designer. Before I even knew what Surface Design was, I was just a watercolor hobbyist. My mom had taken me and my kids shopping for craft supplies to make some memories one day and she told me to throw something in the shopping cart too. I grabbed some watercolor paints without too much thought. Later that evening, after my kids were in bed, I found a tutorial and started painting, playing, experimenting, and in less than an hour… I fell in love with watercolor and knew that they would be a part of my life somehow.

Initially, I searched tutorials online and found teachers that I loved. As I began to show my work to my family I was surprised by their encouragement and confidence in me. I realized that even in the beginning stages of learning a hobby, I was adding goodness to my home and those around me. This was a turning point for me. I realized that I didn’t have to be an expert to be a valuable creative. As my love for painting grew, I knew I wanted to do build a creative career somehow, so I joined some painting communities and continued to just practice because daily practice = progress!

At the same time, I joined a mini-course to learn how to make patterns for fabric and gift wrap. When I saw some examples of floral patterns, I realized I could bridge my love for watercolor painting with surface design and I said out loud, “People do this for a living? I would love to learn how to turn my paintings into patterns for products too!” To pursue this dream, I joined an immersive program by Bonnie Christine to learn Adobe Illustrator and poured myself into the technical learning process for almost a year. I knew I needed both technical education as well as a like-minded community to lean into on my journey.

I’ve learned that I am always better when I surround myself with education and inspiration. I committed hours to learning the computer program Adobe Illustrator, creating patterns, and translating my watercolor work into a digital space. Though I asked many questions and researched extensively, my own style developed by just putting my head down and creating. After making hundreds of patterns, I had a style that was really my own. Not all my work was good, but all my work was good practice. My heart was so alive learning my craft that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to pursue a career in Surface Pattern Design, so I made the jump and completely transitioned careers.

I joined a creative mentorship program and worked in several peer groups with other designers. The human connection and input in my life were invaluable in learning to create surface design work. My teachers and peers encouraged and inspired me to learn new skills, invest in resources and supplies that I needed, and helped me to see my work differently and develop it consistently.

I learned my craft in community and the community around me made my art more beautiful. I learned to share my process and not wait for a perfectly finished product. This principle continues to serve me so well at each stage of my journey because as a creative entrepreneur you are always learning something new. If you wait for each new thing to be perfect, you will never launch it into the world. Progress became my goal and when progress is the goal you can share and grow more quickly because you aren’t held back by the fear of perfection!

Engaging in my creativity daily was my biggest doorway to learning my craft. After that, committing to personal education on the technical and entrepreneurial side has been the best decision I’ve ever made. I’ve learned that each investment in a class or course or quality resource or piece of tech returns itself many times over!

At this stage, I would invest in myself more quickly and without hesitation. Every good course, quality art supply, or technology purchase has enhanced my life and business tremendously and accelerated my learning curve. Knowing what I know now, I would not hem and haw over every purchase but would rather commit more quickly to personal education and personal coaching. It always produces a return on investment. Though I had set my own schedule for many years in my previous career as an International Life Coach and Curriculum Designer, I could have put more effort into learning time management in my learning process. I am a wife and a mom of four awesome school-aged kids, and they are an absolute top priority in my life. My learning could have been sped up had I time-blocked a little bit more intentionally for both my work and my family life.

The three most essential skills to developing my career have been my daily art practice, learning Adobe Illustrator, and developing a truth-based mindset. My daily art practice of painting and sketching fosters my creativity, gives me joy, and provides all the content for my work. Adobe Illustrator is the backbone of my design work where I create all my patterns and designs and I am continuing to evolve and add to my workflow and efficiency all the time. Maybe less obvious, because it is intangible, is my personal work around having a truth-based mindset. As an entrepreneur, there is ample opportunity for mental roadblocks to hinder progress. As a woman of faith, I continue to learn the importance of renewing my mind in all areas of life. I can dwell on a thought that says, “Someone else does it better,” or I can renew my mind with truth and say, “My work is beautiful and valuable to my audience. Sometimes, I’m tempted to think, “There are so many things to do that I will never get it all done.” When I start to go down that road, I can transform my mind and say “I can make good decisions to prioritize the things that I most need to do this week. I can learn anything I need to in order to succeed.” Rehearsing the truth sets me free to be whom I was made to be. I get to choose what I believe and that is essential to my life, faith, and business. Ultimately, practice = progress and I believe that virtually anyone can learn anything; myself included. No one is void of creativity or the ability to learn hard things. We all have the same amount of time in a day, and I get to choose how I spend it. The gift to choose to practice my craft, invest in myself, and rehearse truth has been key for me!

For me, my biggest obstacles were all fear-based. I was afraid I was spending too much money on education. I was worried that I wasn’t progressing quickly enough. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to contribute to my family’s real financial needs. I was afraid to launch a part of my heart into the world through my designs and find that there was no value in them. None of these things were or are true. I didn’t always have the support or the understanding from everyone in my life that I would have valued. That’s why it was so important for me to connect with a like-minded community of creatives. I didn’t always have the skills I needed to be a surface pattern designer. That’s why investing in personal education and community-based peer groups was so key. I don’t always know which step was right or where to go next, but I have learned that I can take the opportunity in front of me and that leads to a new one. I can also continue in faith to share my work and my progress adding goodness and beauty to a world that desperately needs it.

I LOVE being a surface designer. The possibilities are limitless, my joy is abundant, and I am putting beauty into a world that needs hope. Who could ask for more in a creative career?

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Colleen of Colleen Annalea. I’m a surface pattern designer and creative coach which means that I make designs and repeat patterns for all kinds of surfaces like fabrics, home decorations, stationery products, and more. I love what I do! When I learned that I could take my watercolor paintings and turn them into digital patterns for products, a world of excitement and possibility opened up for me. I transitioned from a 15-year career in coaching and leadership development in India and France to launch my creative business! My signature style is feminine, delicate, and wholesome.

First and foremost, I’m a wife and a mom to four awesome kids. As such, I desire that my botanically inspired work always inspire goodness, beauty, and an invitation to rest! Beauty and goodness inspire hope and that is my mission! Colleen Annalea sells and licenses artwork in various industries and offers creative coaching to help other creatives overcome overwhelm and navigate the holistic process of growing a business. When we find something that we love doing, we love being as well and I am passionate about making this a reality for other creatives!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative entrepreneur is that I am happy! In surface pattern design, I have found something that I love doing, so I am happy “being” in my life too! There are limitless possibilities for surface design and so I am constantly learning and stimulated by new projects and opportunities. I have experienced the deep satisfaction of learning every skill I need to grow my business. Now, when I buy groceries or pay my bills, I have the abundant joy of knowing that it was my beautiful artwork that provided for my family! It is an indescribable feeling to know that by adding goodness and beauty to the world through my artwork, I can also care for my own family too.

What would our world be like without color and beauty? We need beauty because it reminds us that we are deeply human and it invites us to hope. Even though it may not be obvious, that’s what I do. I create an invitation to reflect on the beauty and inspire hope on every surface I can put my work on!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I love this question because, for me, social media was a new world. I decided to not be intimidated and just go for it. I followed Austin Kleon’s advice to “share my work” and focus on sharing my process instead of promoting products at the beginning. I shared what I was learning, how I was growing, and where I was experimenting. I didn’t worry too much about my work being stolen or copied because I knew it was also an amazing way to be discovered in my business too.

Looking back, the things that worked well for me were to consider my audience and direct my posting toward them. I didn’t share about my cute puppy on my surface design page. I kept it focused on design. It is as much of a win to repel the wrong person as it is to attract the right person. I shared regularly and also created several resources for my audience that would benefit them. I always try to invite my social media followers into my email list as that is something that I can control. Social media is my visual sharing space and a way to regularly connect with potential audiences.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.colleenannalea.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleenannalea_designs
• Other: https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/colleenannalea_designs

Image Credits
Caroline Ellis https://www.ellisillustrations.com/